Nirbhaya Case: How the last 24 hours transpired in courts before the rapists' hanging

On Friday early morning at 5.30, all 4 death row convicts in the Nirbhaya rape and murder case were hanged at Tihar jail. Ahead of the hanging, no stone was left unturned by the convicts' lawyers to get the execution delayed. The convicts exhausted all the legal remedies and tried all possible tactics to delay their execution, from approaching the Supreme Court to Patiala Court, Delhi Court and also the Bihar court.

The mercy petitions and curative petitions of all four convicts — Mukesh Singh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Kumar, and Pawan Gupta — have already been dismissed by the President and Supreme Court respectively. The Patiala House Court had ordered that the convicts be hanged on March 20 at 5:30 AM after issuing fresh death warrants which is the fourth such date after the previous three dates- January 17, January 31 and March 3 were deferred by petitions filed by the convicts.

Here is the series of events: 

SC Rejects Convict Pawan's Juvenility Claim 

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the curative petition filed by convict Pawan Kumar Gupta challenging the dismissal of his claim of juvenility at the time of the offence. A six judge bench comprising Justices N V Ramana, Arun Mishra, R F Nariman, R Banumathi, Ashok Bhushan and A S Bopanna heard the petition and dismissed the same as being devoid of merits.

Bihar Court Defers Hearing Divorce Plea Of Nirbhaya Rapist Akshay's Wife

A Bihar court on Thursday deferred the hearing on the divorce petition of Nirbhaya convict Akshay Singh. The wife of the convict had on Wednesday filed a divorce petition before court in Bihar's Aurangabad district. She has claimed that she doesn't wish to live with the label of being "a rapist's widow". 

READ | Nirbhaya Case: SC Dismisses Convict's Plea, Set Be Hanged At 5.30 Am: LIVE Updates

Convict Mukesh Moves to Supreme Court 

A day ahead of Nirbhaya rape and murder cases convicts' execution, convict Mukesh Singh's lawyer, on Thursday filed a petition before the Registrar of the Supreme Court seeking an urgent hearing in the matter. The petition filed by Advocate Manohar Lal Sharma, through the petition, sought directions to bring call records, documents and reports of his client through any probe agency and passed appropriate directions and measures to ensure justice in the matter. However, the petition does not seek a stay on the March 20 execution.

Supreme Court Refuses To Hear Plea Of Mukesh Singh

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to hear the plea of convict Mukesh Singh, challenging the Delhi High Court’s order. The Delhi High court had rejected Mukesh Singh's petition claiming that he was not present in Delhi when the crime took place. The convict then approached the Supreme Court, challenging the dismissal by Delhi High court. The Supreme Court, however, refused to entertain Mukesh Singh's plea.

READ | Nirbhaya Case: SC Rejects Convict Pawan's Juvenility Claim Curative Plea On Eve Of Hanging

Patiala House Court Dismisses Plea Of Nirbhaya Rapists

Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana of the Patiala House Court on Thursday dismissed the plea of the convicts in the Nirbhaya rape and murder case to stay the execution of their death warrants. The convicts had filed a plea in the Patiala House Court seeking a stay of death sentence which was rejected by the court.

SC dismisses Akshay's plea challenging the rejection of his second mercy petition 

The Supreme Court Thursday dismissed death-row convict Akshay Kumar's plea challenging the rejection of his second mercy petition by the President. A bench of Justices R Banumathi, Ashok Bhushan and A S Bopanna said no ground was made out in Akshay's plea for judicial review of the decision rejecting the mercy petition. Akshay had filed the second mercy petition on Wednesday which was rejected by the President on Thursday. He had filed his first mercy plea on January 29 which was rejected on January 31.

READ | Bihar Court Defers Hearing Divorce Plea Of Nirbhaya Rapist Akshay's Wife, Ahead Of Hanging

Delhi HC Rejects Convicts' Plea Challenging Their Imminent Execution

Upholding the Patiala House Court's order refusing to stay execution of the four convicts, the Delhi High Court on Thursday, dismissed the plea of the convicts challenging the execution. Justice Manmohan told the convicts' lawyer to understand his case was closing finality and that his clients 'will soon meet God'. The four Nirbhaya rapists had sought a stay in execution, but the Patiala House Court had rejected after which they moved the Delhi High Court. 

AP Singh moves SC with Pawan Gupta's Plea Against Hanging

After the Delhi High Court dismissed the plea of Nirbhaya case convicts challenging their execution, the convicts' lawyer AP Singh on Friday moved to Supreme Court against the rejection of Nirbhaya convict Pawan Gupta mercy petition by the President. A bench of Justice Banumathi, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice AS Bopanna heard the arguments.

3-judge SC Bench Dismisses Pawan Gupta's Plea

The Supreme Court in its urgent hearing on Friday, March 20, dismissed the last-minute petition of Nirbhaya case death row convict Pawan Gupta against the rejection of his mercy plea by the President. “We don't find any grounds for entertaining this petition for challenging executive order by which mercy petition was rejected by President. We thereby dismiss the same”, Justice Banumathi observed while reading out the order. "The court observed that the scope of judicial review of mercy petitions is limited," the order further said.

READ | Less Than 24 Hours Before The Execution, Nirbhaya Convict Mukesh Moves SC To Seek Justice